---
title: "#236: Reducing Disk Bloat with pg_repack"
publication: "Postgres Weekly"
issue: 236
published_at: "2017-12-13"
canonical_url: "https://postgresweekly.com/issues/236"
---

Postgres Weekly 236   . 

[Read this on the Web](http://postgresweekly.com/issues/236) 

[Postgres Weekly](http://postgresweekly.com) Issue 236 — December 13, 2017     

[Reducing Disk Bloat with pg_repack](https://www.redpill-linpro.com/sysadvent/2017/12/08/pg_repack.html)An extension for removing ‘bloat’ from tables & indexes without taking exclusive locks. Knut Ingvald Dietzel [PGCon 2018 Call for Papers Now Open](https://www.pgcon.org/2018/papers.php)The conference will take place on 29 May - 1 June at the University of Ottawa. Deadline for submissions is 19 Jan 2018. PGCon#news [There's One Big Reason That Postgres Can't Kill Oracle](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/theres-one-big-reason-that-postgres-cant-kill-oracle-and-its-not-the-technology/)PG is popular but can’t unseat Oracle which continues to thrive with its contracts and ‘stickiness’. Matt Asay#opinion [Get the Health of Your PostgreSQL Database Checked by 2ndQuadrant Experts](https://2ndquadrant.com/en/services/postgresql-healthcheck/)Prevention is better than a cure. The same is true for your PostgreSQL database. Our experts examine many aspects of your databases and determine the overall health in areas like performance, security, data loads, availability and compliance. 2ndQuadrant PostgreSQL Services#sponsored[![\](https://copm.s3.amazonaws.com/55541038.jpg)](https://2ndquadrant.com/en/services/postgresql-healthcheck/) [Performance Best Practices for Using Azure Database for Postgres](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/performance-best-practices-for-using-azure-database-for-postgresql/)At Build 2017, Microsoft announced the preview of Azure Database services for PostgreSQL, a simple, fully managed PostgreSQL database service. Here are some tips for working with it. Amit Banerjee#news ['IS DISTINCT FROM': For Treating Two NULLs As Equivalent](http://modern-sql.com/feature/is-distinct-from)In SQL `null = null` isn’t true. Postgres’s support for `IS NOT DISTINCT FROM` helps when you need to make null-aware comparisons. Markus Winand [Adding Unsigned 256 Bit Integers in Postgres](https://dba.stackexchange.com/questions/62934/adding-unsigned-256-bit-integers-in-postgresql/192746#192746)It’s possible with the pg-bignum library. Stack Exchange [Using Postgres Arrays from Go(lang)](https://www.opsdash.com/blog/postgres-arrays-golang.html) RapidLoop [How We Built a PostgreSQL Cluster in a Box](https://www.cybertec-postgresql.com/en/how-we-built-our-cluster-in-a-box/)The ‘box’ is quite literal, too. The tech leant on Patroni, an open source tool for building highly available clusters. Cybertec [If Postgres Used Threads Instead of Processes..?](https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/9defcb14-a918-13fe-4b80-a0b02ff85527%40postgrespro.ru)A technical post covering how a developer created a simple prototype for some basic benchmarks, but the reaction was lukewarm. Konstantin Knizhnik [Queen, Princesses, and Workers](http://tapoueh.org/blog/2017/12/queen-princesses-and-workers/)A proposal for clarifying the terminology around ‘primary’ and ‘standby’ servers in complex Postgres setups. Dimitri Fontaine#opinion [Chart Your Course to Become a Postgres Expert](http://inter.viewcentral.com/reg/enterprisedb/EDBPostgresCertification)Demand for skilled Postgres resources is exceeding supply. Invest in your career. Get EDB Postgres Certified. EnterpriseDB#sponsored [PostgreSQL PHP Generator Lite Released](https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/1809/)A commercial Windows app for creating PHP & PG-backed sites without any coding needed. SQL Maestro Group#tools    

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